A growing number of snowflake millennials are saying they can no longer stand to live in the preeminent American ‘safe space’ of San Francisco because the “rent is too damn high”, the traffic is too damn congested and, well, President Trump. According to a new poll conducted by the Bay Area Council, 40% of all people living in San Francisco say they’re ready to ditch the city for greener pastures while the number is even higher among millennials at 46%.

A growing number of Bay Area residents, led by millennials (18-39), are looking to greener (or less expensive) pastures as the region’s housing and traffic crises combined with an astronomical cost of living take their toll, according to results of the 2017 Bay Area Council Poll released today. The poll found that 40 percent of respondents are considering leaving the Bay Area in the next few years, with millennials leading the way at 46 percent, along with those who spend the biggest share of their income on housing.

“Losing our youth is a very bad economic and social strategy,” said Jim Wunderman, President and CEO of the Bay Area Council. “But until we get serious about building the housing we need we’re going to continue seeing our region drained of the young and diverse talent that has helped make the Bay Area an economic powerhouse. We know what the solutions are – streamline local approval and reduce fees and regulatory costs – we just need the political will here and in Sacramento to make them happen. It can be done, it must be done and we’re working now to get it done.”

Meanwhile, the number of people saying they’re looking to ditch the city jumped 6 points versus 2016.

Of course, housing and traffic were the most cited reasons that people were looking leave San Fran. But, in a rather surprising new addition to the list of complaints, President Trump also showed up as a key threat to life in the Bay Area. Perhaps, the snowflakes of California’s northern shores aren’t aware that even if they move elsewhere in the country that President Trump would still be their president?

So it’s probably not at all surprising that a growing number of people think San Fran is on the “wrong track.”

Santa Clara County, home to Silicon Valley and some of the region’s most expensive housing, has the highest number of residents thinking of finding a new address outside the Bay Area, at 47 percent. Across the entire region, renters (50%) are also much more likely than homeowners (31%) to want to cast off, while those who have lived in the Bay Area the longest are far less likely to want to exit than those who have more recently arrived.

“We’ve pulled up the welcome mat,” Wunderman said. “A healthy, growing economy needs new blood, but resistance to new housing combined with the grind of traffic and an ever-lengthening commute are closing the door to new residents, to a new generation. The Council is addressing these problems by supporting new funding at a state level to fix roads and highways, advocating for federal funding to increase capacity on Caltrain, working to expand regional ferry service and urging employers to promote greater use of carpool and rideshare technologies. On the housing front, the Council last year sponsored the only significant housing bill to win approval, making it faster, easier and less expensive for homeowners to add affordable in-laws units. This year, we’re working with legislators on a number of bills to streamline housing approvals that represent our best
hope to address the state’s massive housing shortage.”

Seems like the flood of tech gurus swarming San Fran have just found out that their $200,000 salaries will buy them the same lifestyle as a $60,000 salary in any other ‘normal’ American town.